Raijintek Styx Case Review

Overview

It’s been a while since we’ve seen a product from German company Raijintek and we’re also more used to seeing CPU Coolers too! But this time around we’ve got the chance to take a look at one of their newest cases, the Raijintek Styx. This particular Styx (0R200026) is red in colour and also equipped with a side window, other colours (Black/Red/Silver/Blue/Green/Gold/White) are also available as is the option of no side window.

The Raijintek Styx is a cube style case that’s made entirely from aluminium The case itself supports both Micro-ATX and Mini-ITX Motherboards and measures in at 210mm (W) × 360mm (H) × 335mm (D), whilst weighing in at 3.8kg. The case features a single 120mm exhaust fan, it can hold up to three HDDs + two SSDs or one HDD and four SSDs. There are no external drive bays, but the Styx is equipped with a single slim ODD drive mount on the right hand side. The case features five PCI Slots while there’s a Front Panel comprising of power button, x2 USB 3.0 (or 2.0) ports and Audio ports. The case also has support for additional fans/radiators; x2 120mm in the top, 240mm radiator in the top and a single 120mm in the bottom. The Raijintek Styx supports Graphics Cards up to 280mm in length and CPU Coolers up to 180mm in height.

The Raijintek Styx arrived at pcG in a regular (no doubt eco friendly) brown cardboard box. The front of the box (in black & white, or is that brown & white!) shows an image of the Styx and its associated right side window as well as highlighting the brand and the Micro-ATX nature of the case’s design. In addition to this the front of the box also highlights the following features:

Aluminum color hair-silk anodized appearance design

Entire Coating black internally design

Compatible with ATX POWER SUPPLY

Compatible with max. 280mm VGA card

Supports to max. 180mm height CPU cooler

2×USB3.0 ports

Anti-vibration rubber for HDD installation

Supports to install 3×3.5″HDD +2×2.5″HDD/ 1×3.5″HDD +4×2.5″HDD

120 mm performing fan pre-installed at rear

Optional to install 240mm radiator on the top/side and 120mm fan at bottom

The back of the box shows another image of the Styx along with a list of specifications (see Specifications/Features below).

The sides of the box highlight other aspects of this Micro-ATX case as well as offer up a few additional drawings. The left side shows some additional drawings of the case from various angles, giving us a feel as to what the case actually looks like. The opposite side of the box simply tells us what version of the Styx we have, as you can see we have a Red version.

On opening that eco friendly brown cardboard box we see that the Raijintek Styx is adequately packaged with the case protected by two hard foam blocks and sealed within a plastic bag. Within the box, other than the case itself, we find very little other than a basic User’s Manual and a bag of screws etc.

At the time of review, the Raijintek Styx (0R200026) is retailing on Overclockers UK for approximately £65 and comes with a 1 year warranty.

First Impressions

First impressions of the Raijintek Styx are along the lines of; this is a nice looking little case and hold on, isn’t it supposed to be red!? So yes, the Styx is a nice looking (dare I say pretty!) case, but it looks prettier due to the fact that the red is, well, a little pink IMHO! 😮 Other colours available…

Unusually the left side of the case is somewhat bare, there’s really very little to talk about here other than that pink colour (ok James enough already, we know!). Both panels are secured by way of four black countersunk screws, meaning that a screwdriver is needed to remove either of the side panels. Raijintek also like to highlight the aluminum’s natural grain effect (that they like to call ‘hair-silk’) and the anodized colour, that’s actually pretty nice TBH! What’s rather odd though is that our Styx has apparently got a window, but not here it doesn’t!?

That’s because it’s on the other side, the wrong side, it’s also very small! I thought this issue of which side a window lives on was solved years ago, but not according to Raijintek it seems!? Other than the side window that’s secured by way of four silver screws (that don’t match the black screws!), the only other thing to note is the rather nifty ODD drive opening at the bottom left. This is supported by a slimline ODD drive bracket within the case, and is a nice idea, especially as a case such as this may well find itself in a living room.

Looking at the Raijintek Styx from the front we again see lots of anodized brushed aluminum, around the edge of the panel there’s also a forty five degree chamfer exposing the bare (silver) aluminum beneath, see main image above. This is a really nice effect and helps to give the Styx a premium look. At the top there’s a nice aluminum power button (with white illumination) while at the bottom there’s a simple white Raijintek logo.

At the back up top we find a couple of water cooling holes with grommets as well as an unusually placed power socket. This is because there’s an internal cable that runs from the socket to where the PSU bay is within the case. Below this we have a raft of cooling holes on the left followed by five PCI expansion slots, with a top plastic cover that simply clips on/off. Finally at the bottom of the case on the left we have the only pre-installed fan acting as an exhaust and the main I/O shield cutout on the right.

The top of the Raijintek Styx is dominated by a large black grill, there to support a couple of 120mm fans and or a 240mm radiator. Pretty impressive for a case of this size! This grill simply clips into place and can be removed to access the necessary screw holes beneath. Note that both the fans and or radiator live inbound of this top grill.

Just above the power button, on the top of the case we find the rest of the Front Panel controls. This comprises of x2 USB 3.0, or x2 USB 2.0 (thanks to an additional plug) and Audio ports (headphone & microphone).

At the bottom of the case we find that odd Power Supply location where the PSU sits vertically instead of horizontally as is normal in a ATX case. As I’ve already mentioned there’s a cable within the case that takes the PSU output from here and moves it to the top of the case, where the inbuilt socket is. Forward of this position we find an additional 120mm fan mount, while near the front we find one of three possible HDD locations. The case itself sits up on four rubber feet that lift the base of the case approximately 10mm off of the surface.

Removing the left side panel by way of undoing those four countersunk black screws allows us to see within the Raijintek Styx, although we cant see too much as the first thing we’re greeted with is a large drive bracket. This bracket is described in more detail below. What we can also see though is the single pre-installed 120mm fan at the bottom as well as the fact that Raijintek have used all black cabling, which is always nice to see. Other than that there’s no much to see inside of the Styx…

Looking at the case from the other side with the panel removed allows us a better look at that motherboard bracket, that’s got a fair few cable tie points dotted around. Here we can also see the two dedicated SSD brackets attached to the MB bracket as well as the power cable trialing from the PSU bay up to the Power socket on the back of the case. What’s not so apparent in the image above right though, is the lack of depth at the back of this case, there’s probably not even 10mm! That CPU cutout also looks a little on the small side so I hope it’s in the right place! 😉

The 120mm exhaust fan would appear to be a Raijintek fan with a maximum rotational speed of 1200RPM. Note that its position is directly behind the CPU location and it should promote excellent CPU Cooling. As for the Graphics Card’s cooling I’m a little more concerned as there’s no other pre-installed fans in the case.

Let’s just take a look at that rather unusual Power Supply bracket that actually pushes the PSU deeper into the case due to the way in protrudes into the case. At first this seemed nonsensical, as why would you want to loose room inside of an already small case? Well this is because the plug (see image above right) needs to go somewhere, so this recess allows the plug to tuck back up inside the case’s frame. Although as the case sits 10mm off of the surface thanks to its feet, this is not strictly necessary…

All of the cables supplied within the Raijintek Styx are black, which is always nice to see, other than the rather nasty coloured cables hanging off of the USB 3.0 plug. This allows for the cable to be either wired up to a USB 3.0 or 2.0 header. Also note that there’s no Front Panel cable for Reset as there’s no reset switch aboard the Styx.

Aesthetically there’s a lot to like about the Raijintek Styx, it is best described as a pretty little case. But there’s some odd choices here and there; different coloured screws, even different screws used, seem at odds with the high quality finish on the outside. The small CPU cutout looks like it’s going to cause problems, as is the lack of cable management space at the back of the case. And, dare I mention that somewhat pink colour again… 😮

As you can see the drive bracket can be removed by way of four screws, although I did notice one of the screws was different to the other three! Maybe Raijintek ran out of screws!? 😉 With the bracket removed it’s obviously a lot easier to work on the case, and it’s now more obvious that there’s very little else inside the Styx also. Hopefully that should help with the installation…

The first task was to put together a new (because this is a MATX case) motherboard assembly (MB, CPU, CPU Cooler & RAM). I used our original CPU (6600K), CPU Cooler (Noctua NH-U12S) and our x2 4GB G.Skill Ripjaws 4 RAM modules. All of this was installed into a new MSI Z170M Mortar MATX motherboard (review coming soon!). The completed assembly can be seen above right.

As the interior space of the Raijintek Styx is limited I opted to use the ‘world’s smallest 80 Plus Platinum full-modular ATX power supply’, the SilverStone Strider 750W. At only 140mm long this should help preserve some of that much needed interior space for the all important Graphics Card. The Power Supply was simply screwed to the bracket with the regular four screws, although this is made a little more difficult as the PSU has nothing to hold it in position, requiring you to hold the PSU in position as you try and get those screws in.

I installed the Power Supply with the fan facing the inside of the case in an attempt to help to extract any hot air from within. This made the power extension cable a little more difficult to fit as the cable loop naturaly got in the way of the main power switch. But it’s not as though this switch gets used that often and I could still reach it if necessary, even though it’s a little awkward.

With the PSU in place and cabled up I went about installing the motherboard, it’s at this point that you’ll realise what a tight space you will be working in. Therefore it’s at this point that the frustration and swearing starts! But this is an MATX case, and this, to be fair is common, I’m afraid! As you can see from the image above left I fitted the MB assembly with the CPU Cooler in place, because you have to. As I suspected the CPU cutout at the back, is not only small it’s also in the wrong place!

After managing to get a couple of power cables fitted (24-pin & 8-pin) I hit a hurdle. As the USB 3.0 port on the MSI Z170M Mortar is horizontal, it became very difficult to line up the plug and socket. I also noted that the socket (and or plug!) was very tight, the end result was a bent pin on the motherboard header! This is what comes of trying to work in such a confined space! So the motherboard and the Power Supply were removed from the case and I realigned the USB 3.0 pin and checked the connection, and boy, even with both components in my hand it was tight!

Due to the this fact, and the fact that I pretty much now knew where things went, I decided to pre-install the USB 3.0 cable and the main 24-pin power cable. I also found that the I could loop the (long!) USB cable into the area reserved for the slimline ODD drive. Also worth noting that the flat cables of the SilverStone Strider Power Supply were a godsend. This can be seen in the images above centre and right.

With the MB and PSU in position I set about the rest of the cabling, such as the 8-pin power cable, that was also very awkward to get into position. While the HD Audio and the Front Panel connectors were easy due to the fact that they could simply be looped over the top.

I was quite apprehensive about fitting out test Graphics Card, the EVGA 980Ti Classified, as the Styx claims to support GPUs up to 280mm in length and the 980Ti IS 280mm in length! But as you can see from the image above right the card fitted with ease. But this is more down to Power Supply choice, as if that PSU was any longer things would have got awfully tight! If I didn’t know better I would say that this SilverStone Strider Power Supply was made for this case… 😉

The final task was to install our test SSD the HyperX Fury, I opted to discard the large drive bracket and simply opted to use one of the rear mounted SSD brackets. The drive itself simply attaches to the bracket by way of the four screws provided.

The bracket then in turn attaches to the case by way of two screws. Cabling up the SATA connection from the Motherboard was easy enough, but the long SATA power cable was another story. I ended up using a cable tie and bundling it up in the top right hand side of the case.

Now I have to say that the install was a pain, but then again any install into a MATX case is generally awkward. But there’s so little room at the back of the case for cable management it really makes getting that side panel back on very awkward. Bear in mind we’re using flat PSU cables that undeniably make the job easier. If we had used our original test PSU (Corsair AX760i) with standard cables, then I think the air would have been blue, and most of my hair missing. Also that CPU cutout is completely misaligned, meaning that your forced to install the Motherboard with your CPU Cooler in place. But in the end, when the panels are on and the protective films removed, you can’t help but stand back and admire the Raijintek Styx! 🙂

Testing Methodology/Setup

At pcGameware we use Prime95 and ASRock’s F-Stream utility to evaluate CPU temperatures and voltage, and we use MSI Afterburner to evaluate the GPU temperatures. Of course Prime95 being a CPU stress test also helps to generate heat for us to check the case thermals. We also use UNiGiNE Heaven 4.0 for GPU temperature testing.

CPU performance testing is carried out using Prime95 (Small FFT) to stress the CPU. Each run is timed for 15 mins and the maximum temperature is recorded for all cores and then the average core heat is taken. Testing was carried out with an overclocked Intel Core i5-6600K at 4.4GHz courtesy of the ASRock UEFI.

GPU performance testing is carried out by running UNiGiNE Heaven 4.0 for 15 minutes and then by recording the maximum GPU temperature.

* All case fans (x1 in the case of the Raijintek Styx) and the CPU Cooler (Noctua NH-U12S) are run at 100% throughout testing. To ascertain case noise levels, the GPU fans are set to their lowest setting and the CPU Cooler fan is unplugged, whilst the dBA is recorded from 1m away.

Apologies first for these grids being a little sparse, but we have just cut over to a new Gaming Test Rig and now a new GPU in the form of our EVGA 980Ti Classified. As we have changed the motherboard, CPU, CPU Cooler, RAM and GPU all of the old thermal results are simply no longer comparable. Please bear with us as we expand our range of tested hardware…

Also Although we are using a different motherboard instead of our normal ASRock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming K6, all voltages and overclock settings are the same so thermals are (within reason) still comparable.

As one would expect the cooling performance of the Raijintek Styx is pretty poor in comparison to our other cases, in fact it’s produced the highest CPU Core temperature that we’ve seen so far in our testing, at 67 (46 Delta) degrees Celsius. But to compare the ATX cases to this MATX case is a little unfair, as you can see the cooling performance is almost on par with the larger BitFenix Nova that also features a single exhaust fan. What’s important here is that the Styx still managed to keep our overclocked (4.4GHz @ 1.3v) in check and that’s while running a Prime 95 torture Test. And as we’ve said before here at pcG, how many of us sit down for an evening of Prime 95? 😉

Despite only having one fan the Raijintek Styx actually performed quite well in our Graphics Card cooling test, with a maximum temperature of 81 (60 Delta) degrees Celsius. Being within one degree on the be quiet! Silent Base 600 and the BitFenix Nova, is pretty impressive for a MATX case with only one fan. Having said that I’m confident that installing a couple of fans blowing more cool air into the top of the case (and therefore onto the GPU) would help significantly. It’s a shame they’re not fitted as standard to be honest…

Acoustic Performance

With only one fan you would think that acoustically the Raijintek Styx would perform well, and it does, kind of! We recorded a maximum noise of 38dBA with the CPU Cooler unplugged and the fan at 100%, using our test equipment. This is actually higher than it should be to be fair, as the 120mm 1200RPM is actually quite noisy, especially above 1000RPM, which is shame. The case in general would benefit from having three high quality (low noise) fans fitted, especially if you’ve a keen ear!

Final Thoughts

Installing a system into the Raijintek Styx is no easy task, and this is unfortunately made more awkward by certain aspects of its design. But once complete all of those installation woes quickly fade, as you admire what is undeniably a pretty and elegant little case.

The Raijintek Styx (0R200026) arrived at pcG in a regular, eco friendly cardboard box, with the contents within being adequately packaged. Once out of the box the first thing you notice is the red colour, or lack of it! The anodised aluminium has a habit of looking more than a little pink, especially in bright light (and during photography). Of course other colours are also available (Black/Red/Silver/Blue/Green/Gold/White) as is the case without a side window, should you wish to save around £2, yes that’s right two pounds!

Despite this case’s somewhat pinkish appearance there’s no denying that the Raijintek Styx is a good looking case, helped mainly by the use of brushed aluminium and that silver chamfered edge around the front panel. This helps to give the case a simple yet elegant look; dare I say the words ‘pretty little case’ comes to mind.

Once inside the case, with the side drive bracket removed, it becomes apparent that there’s not much in the case at all! Hopefully this means there’s plenty of room for installation!? But, as is often the way with MATX cases installation was a bit of a pain. This was simply down to the confined space, the fact that the CPU cutout is in the wrong place and the fact that there’s very little room for cable management at the back of the case. Why the case isn’t simply 5-10mm wider I just don’t know!

What was impressive though was the fact that I could get our test GTX 980TI into the Styx and without too much of a problem. This was more down to our choice of Power Supply though as we used the world’s smallest 750W PSU, the SilverStone Strider. This PSU, with its small size and flat, flexible cables made the install much easier, with a regular Power Supply the installation would have been even more stressful I’m sure!

Once the system was built though and the side panels on (with the help of an elephant to sit on the panel while the screws were tightened), I had to admit the Styx does look pretty cool, although there’s an argument to say that it’s more pretty than cool. Also the window is on the wrong side, I thought this debate had been settled some time ago, almost all manufacturers now place the window on the left, but not Raijintek!?

Considering the small size of the Styx and the fact that it’s equipped with only one 120mm fan, the cooling performance was actually pretty good. No it’s not quite as good as some of the bigger ATX cases, but the bottom line here is that it’s good enough! It managed to keep our overclocked Intel Core i5-6600K CPU at 67 degrees Celsius and our toasty EVGA 980Ti Classified at 81 degrees Celsius. Although I’m sure cooling would be drastically improved if you were to install a couple of intake fans in the top of the case!

Acoustically the Raijintek Styx performed ok, mainly because its only got the one fan. But that one fan is actually quite noisy at 38dBA when at 100%. The Styx would benefit from having three high quality quite fans installed, and really at £65 I would have liked to have seen this out of the box…

Overall the Raijintek Styx is a good ATX case with some simple flaws. The fact that the CPU cutout is very small and in the wrong place is poor and there’s not much cable management space either. But once built the Styx offers a very good look and it even has an air of elegance about it, dare I say it is a pretty little case! And, it can also house and cool a powerful Gaming system, given the right Power Supply… 😉